BUDAPEST, Hungary — Sergio Perez has denied the mounting speculation he is facing the axe from Red Bull over the August break if he does not deliver a turnaround in the next two F1 races.
Perez has not been on the podium in eight races in a car teammate Max Verstappen has guided to seven wins. The Mexican is sixth in the drivers’ championship, 137 points from his teammate who leads.
Sources with knowledge of the situation have told ESPN a summer driver switch is considered a last resort, but it is being considered given how poor Perez’s form is.
F1 has back-to-back races in Hungary and Belgium before the traditional August break.
When asked about comments he made after the British Grand Prix about the next two races being key, Perez downplayed the suggestion it meant he was facing a make-or-break double header.
“There’s nothing related to that. Obviously I cannot talk about my contract,” Perez said, referring to the 2025 extension the team confirmed in early June.
“What I said was the next two races are important for me, I want to go on holiday with a good spirit and I think it’s good for my side of the garage to go with a good spirit. I wasn’t talking about anything else. I’m fully focused to fully deliver. I will be here and here again next year and that’s nothing different. I’m just fully committed to myself.”
Last week Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson tested in a 200km filming day, which sources have said the team used to evaluate his pace.
Lawson is a candidate to replace either Perez at Red Bull or Daniel Ricciardo at junior team RB, depending on which is considered to be the most pressing situation come August.
One source with knowledge of the situation said as it stands the belief internally is Lawson will be lining up on the grid in some capacity come the Dutch Grand Prix after the summer break.
RB driver Yuki Tsunoda also spoke on Thursday about Perez’s seat and how he feels he’s earned an opportunity to step up.
“I think a lot of drivers out there would love to have my seat,” Perez said in reply. “It’s obvious, no? It’s one of the top seats. It’s normal for Yuki to want to move up. It’s just normal when you are in a lower seat, you want to move up. That’s part of the nature of the sport. I’ve got nothing against it. It’s good to have higher ambitions in the sport.
Pressed on whether he had received assurances from Christian…
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